Big Brother Season 26 is a thrill ride thus far, so I hate to be nitpicky about anything about it. We've watched the Houseguests living day to day in previous seasons, and while I'm proud to be a live-feed viewer with my Paramount+ subscription, I'll concede it can often be pretty boring. That's not at all the case this season, and it's forced me to confront a franchise question I've struggled with: is the season this enjoyable largely due to recruited Houseguests who have previously been on television?
While some Big Brother fanatics following the online conversations may be aware, those who are only watching episodes might be in the dark about several Season 26 Houseguests previously appearing on television. For those finding this out for the first time, let's get up to speed and talk about why I have such mixed feelings about this.
Four Of The Big Brother Season 26 Houseguests Have Previously Appeared On Television
Heading into Week 5 of Big Brother, there are twelve houseguests left in the game. Of those twelve, a third of them have previously appeared on an unscripted television series of some kind. Here are the ones we know about, for those curious:
- Angela Murray – The Price Is Right, Let's Make A Deal, House Calls With Dr. Phil
- Brooklyn Rivera – Dr. Phil
- T'Kor Clottey – The Kelly Clarkson Show
- Rubina Bernabe – Don't Forget The Lyrics
In addition, we know that Week 5 HOH Tucker Laruriers is friends with Season 22 winner Cody Calafiori, and that Kenney Kelley knew Season 21 Houseguest Kat Dunn. Once again, it seems like the casting game is a mixture or recruitment based on who applicants know, which has to be pretty frustrating for the many who auditioned and didn't make the cut.
Big Brother Seeking Out People With TV Experience Over Fans Can Be Discouraging
Fans try for years to get attention from Big Brother's casting teams, so it can presumably become maddening to realize that some Houseguests are possibly being picked just for having on-screen experience. Granted, we don't know if one or any of these Houseguests were recruited specifically because of these appearances, or if they were just people who continually audition for various shows and got lucky. Perhaps the casting directors had their own connections to other shows mentioned above.
Still, there are so many random people who apply to Big Brother, to the point that I can't help but shake my head whenever Houseguests bring up having originally auditioned for Survivor or Love Island only to have ended up in the house. I want to see BB obsessives who want only to be in the game as cast members.
That said, this latest season has made me realize I have have been unfair with my views about this situation over the years.
Big Brother 26 Has Been The Most Entertaining Season In Years
It feels hypocritical of me to call out Big Brother's casting team for grabbing a number of Houseguests with television experience without also acknowledging that this has been the most entertaining season we've seen in years. Angela's big blow-up on Matt Hardeman was iconic, and Brooklyn was getting heated in the house after the Week 5 veto ceremony put her in danger. Can we also point out that the surprising vote flip that sent Cedric Hodges out of the house didn't happen without T'Kor and Kimo Apaka's legwork to get it done?
Let's also remember that Kenney Kelley auditioned for years to be on Big Brother and was begging Cedric to send him home when he won the Week 3 HOH. Is it time to admit that the casting department knows what it's doing by casting people who have been on television before rather than newcomers who may realize they bit off more than they can chew, committing to a game as intense as Big Brother?
I'm not saying this season has completely convinced me that recruits are a good thing. And I'm not saying that spending five minutes on a game show can give someone the exact headspace needed to be a Big Brother champion. But I'm certainly thinking about it differently.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay glued to those live feeds for more of what's going on, and for CinemaBlend to make sense of it all before the big episodes.
